DC Cataclysms
by Rhuen
Summary: Over the span of centuries of Rhulan's life, and across many reboots of the DC Universe was a vicious struggle fought. Where ego and pride meet truth and justice; and from lone amusement to unbridled rage.
1. Chapter 1

Beyond yet another portal Rhulan stands on a cliff side facing the ocean. She opens and closes her hand, her eyes narrowed as she stares at her hand, "what is wrong me with?" she whispers, "am I so out of practice? That brute should not have given me so much trouble, no matter how strong he was physically. Was I in the Society of Sorcery so long?...How long was I there anyway?"

A giant Ankh of light appears and from it appears a strange man wearing a gold helmet and cape.

"Creature of chaos," it says in a deep echoing voice, "know that this world is protected by the Lords of Order."

He blasts a flat light at Rhulan, she holds out her hand and smiles as the blast is absorbed and drawn into her hand.

"Impossible," says the man, "no creature of chaos can with stand the power of Dr. Fate."

He unleashes another blast, this one also absorbed by Rhulan as she floats in the air.

"Just what I needed," says Rhulan a wicked gleam in her eyes, "a nice little ego boost by fighting some foolish overblown pompous sorcerer who has over studied in a single art form to the point of driving himself insane by it."

She floats towards Dr. Fate who raises a barrier. Rhulan flicks the barrier taking it down. Dr. Fate attempts another spell *whap* Rhulan backhands him sending him to the ground, before he can hit the ground however he opens another portal and vanishes.

The darkness of the Bat-cave is destroyed by the blast of un-earthly light, and then dark again save for the small light and console of the Bat computer.

"Dr. Fate?" says Bat-man rising from his work on investigating a crime spree, the images on the screen implying it could be The Riddler at work. The man known as Dr. Fate staggers a moment and falls over, his helmet rolling off.

"Zatarra?" says Bat-man to the man previously known as Dr. Fate, "what happened?"

"Nabu," says Zatarra, "where…"

"The helmet is here," says Bat-man, "its sitting nearby. How did this happen Zatarra? I thought Nabu only released his host when they died or a new host could be found?"

"Indeed," says Zatarra, "but…" he remembers the strange sorceress, "We fought someone…Nabu sensed her arrival on our world, her aura….was pure chaos…it drove Nabu to act immediately…but…"

"She won?" asks Bat-man, "and didn't kill you?"

"Yes, it would seem that way," says Zatarra, "however she couldn't be a servant of the chaotic ones…Nabu's magic had no effect…no…she absorbed it. The power of Dr. Fate was defenseless, and she…was strong."

Zatarra laughs and winces at the pain in his neck.

"Whiplash," says Bat-man.

Zatarra smiles, "Not my first time being back handed by a woman Bat-man, but wont a wont forget…"

He looks at the helmet, "However I think Nabu felt it too…beyond the body, I don't think he's ever experienced anything like it before…guess the old boy had an angry lover."

"Angry lover?" says Bat-man.

"She was no one he knew…" says Zatarra as he forces himself to sit up, "however Bat-man we need to inform the league…if she could do this to Dr. Fate…there's no telling how dangerous this sorceress of chaos is."

"With as many magical enemies we encounter," says Martian Man-hunter at the consoles of the Watch Tower's computer, "our instruments have been calibrated to lock on to any high level magical energies, it does help if we have the signature on file however."

"Of course," says Zatarra as he waves his hand over the computer chanting his words, "there from my…Dr. Fate's battle with her…there…" he points to the screen pointing at the outskirts of Metropolis, not far from where Dr. Fate had fought her.

"Pitiful," says Rhulan tossing aside a man known on this world as The Wizard,

"illusion spells against one who is a master of all forms of sorcery including psychomancy…you are an amateur at best. I wander if that other guy in the helmet is off someplace trying to plan a better scheme of attack…" she smiles, "there is little more dangerous than a spell caster who has had time to prepare."

She flies off not caring about the fate of the unconscious super-villain in the park. Over the city she flies and lands on the side of a building.

"Are you a super-hero?" asks a girl from behind her.

Rhulan does a double take at the girl who *zipped* as Rhulan would put it behind her so fast she hadn't detected her, not to mention this petite blond is wearing a skin tight blue shirt with a red S on it, a short red cape, a red mini-skirt, and red boots.

"Well, well, well," says Rhulan with a smile, "aren't you a cute little thing, so tell me little S girl are you also a sorceress."

The girl floats in the air, "Seriously? You don't know who I am? Seriously?"

"Should I?" asks Rhulan, "well to be honest I am new around here…"

Rhulan's smile creeps out the girl, "Maybe you'd like to show a sight seer some of the sights, a little dinner, some dancing, the trendy spots…secluded spots…all the places the places to see…and…you fly around in a mini-skirt?"

The girl blushes, "Uh…I'm wearing a leotard under this…"

Rhulan dips her head around, "sure…if that's visible from the ground…sounds like a fun way to tease the locals, what ever floats your boat…well…my apologies I don't have your name."

"I'm Super-girl."

"Super," says Rhulan, "and your number?"

"Uh…" says Super-girl, "I…I'm not into…and besides we just met…and you left The Wizard just sitting in the park…I mean I know he's a super-villain and all but really when you take them down you're supposed to take them to the police. That's what my cousin says anyway, but sometimes he just ties them up in a fence or something…I assume he assumes the police will show up and you know…"

"Any who," says Rhulan hovering, "I was just starting to get bored of this place but you…"

A sudden flash of blue and red hits Rhulan with an *oomph* flying straight out of the city.

Super-girl just floats there confused and says, "Clark?"

In the air out of town Super-man has dragged Rhulan via is ramming tackle; which is now cut short as despite his intention to knock the wind out of her Rhulan knees him in the chin stopping him in his tracks followed by a double fisted strike to his head.

Rhulan backs up in the air glareing at the man in such a similar costume to the one called Super-girl, "Who the hell are you?" demands Rhulan, "you that Super-girl's boyfriend or something?

"I'm Super-man," says the man, "and no I am Super-girl's cousin, you really must not be from around like Dr. Fate said,"

"So," says Rhulan, "this is that fool's counterstrike huh? Summon a man-god? So be it…bring it on."

"I don't want to hurt you lady," says Super-man, "but,"

"You already tackled me," says Rhulan, "soooo, surprise Thunder Cannon!"

Super-man blocks her electric blast being knocked back a short distance,

"I warned you," says Super-man as he lunges at Rhulan, she blocks his punches with her "Spirit Shield" but even so she is being knocked back through the air further and further from the city and out along the sea line.

"Damn," thinks Rhulan, "again another insanely strong one,"

She surprises Super-man by suddenly dropping her shield and punching him the jaw.

"Right," says Super-man, "nearly forgot you were strong,"

"Maybe I should have kicked you in the nuts instead of the chin," says Rhulan.

"Such language," says Super-man.

"Seriously," says Rhulan imitating Super-girl tone and poise.

Super-man apparently does not find that funny as he blasts his eye beams at her. She surprises him again by catching the beams (in a way) by having them rotate around her outstretched fingers together flat palm. She raises her hand, the beams growing as they spin. She floats higher and aims her hand down at Super-man while saying, "Reversion."

The blast hits Super-man square in the chest knocking him into the ground. Super-man shakes it off and flies straight up at her at such speed that she is forced to *teleport* to avoid it. She appears quickly and rotates her arms together gathering a violet energy, "Mystic Blast!" she shouts. Super-man is hit, goes up, and comes down into the trees.

"Looks like the big guy needed our help after all," says a man behind her. As she turns a green energy blasts shoots her into the ground, splintering a few trees in the process.

She shakes her head as she raises herself from the crater muddying up the well trimmed grass. She looks at her hands as green sparks dance between her fingers, "huhmmm,"

She looks up to see a man in a green uniform.

"Stay down and surrender," says the man, "as a none-native of this world its my duty as a member of the Justice League and the Green Lantern corps to inform you that you are trespassing on a protected world, an hostile actions,"

"You know," says Rhulan interrupting him, "with such a flawed form of energy, attacking someone like me, you may have wanted to make your first attack a bit more fatal. Try it again."

"Ma'am," says Green Lanter.

"Fire Sphere!" yells Rhulan as she tosses a red bubble like orb at Green Lantern, he puts up a shield that blocks the explosion.

Something else flies at her from nearby which she catches in the air, a baterang which explodes in her face.

In this moment Bat-man sees a blue aura around her, as the flames depart, not harming her at all.

"Toys can't harm me," says Rhulan.

"How about this!" shouts Green Lantern, Bat-man ducking out of the way. In a moment he realizes ducking to avoid the excess energy and debris from the blast was un-neccisary as Rhulan slices through the blast, her hand encased in a yellow glow. He hears her say in this moment, "Antithesis."

"Hal!" shouts Bat-man, but its too late as Rhulan aims her hand and yells out,

"Antithesis!" a yellow beam blasting Green Lantern square in the chest.

He is caught in the air by Wonder-Woman who is accompanied by Captain Marvel and Red Tornado.

"Did we miss the party," says Wonder-Woman.

"I do not believe so," says Red Tornado, "if by party you mean the battle with our opponent. I do believe she is still right there."

Wonder-woman shakes her head and hands Green Lantern to Red Tornado.

"I'm okay," says Green Lantern as his aura charges back up and he floats, "just caught be by surprise is all."

"Enough!" screams Super-man, his costume torn up as he charges Rhulan, surprising her and Wonder-Woman who were about to fight.

He punches Rhulan with an upper-cut so strong it sends her into the air.

He flies up into the air after her, her head is tilted back. When she tilts it back to him her expression is one of pure hated, especially with the glowing red eyes, black tiger stripes on her face. Just as Super-man gets close she grabs the sides of his head, her hands turned into large black claws. Her cape has become shadowy wings and her aura red.

"Cataclysm of the Demon Lord," says Rhulan as a red energy and red bolts cascade over Super-man, causing agony through out his body.

"Leave him alone!" shouts Captain Marvel flying towards her.

She drops him and shrugs with a smile, her appearance returning to normal. Captain Marvel flies down to catch Super-man.

A whipping sound grabs her attention, she turns to see a golden lasso flying towards her. She *zips* out of the way, grabs the lasso and *zips* again; tying up Wonder-woman in her own lasso when she appears again.

"Well aren't you a gorgeous one," says Rhulan pressing her breasts against Wonder-Woman's back and leaning in to whisper in her ear, "what you say when this little battle is over you, me, and the petite blond go find a nice restaurant and see where the night leads us."

"woah" says Rhulan as Wonder-woman spins and faces her, except something is wrong. She notices right away her arm braces are missing, and Rhulan is holding them.

"Will you look at that," says Rhulan, "we just met and I'm already undressing you, a little too forword? Well you were trying to tie me up with rope before? Have to say I never tried that, but if that's your thing…"

"Stop talking and fight," says Wonder-woman.

Rhulan shrugs and drops the Arm Braces. Wonder Woman flies down to catch them.

"Its my turn," says Captain Marvel flying at her.

"Telekinetic Hold," says Rhulan, stopping him. Her demeaner changes as she looks at him. Her eyes narrow.

"You," she says, "this is a spell on you…you…" Her eyes glow blue, "you're just a child!"

"Dis-spell!" she says with a wave of her hand, turning Captain Marvel back into the boy named Billy Batson. As he starts to fall Rhulan flies down and catches him, she utters a sleep spell putting him under.

Wonder-Woman catches up but stops, as do Red Tornado and Green Lantern.

"Let him go!" yells Wonder-woman.

Rhulan ignores her and lands right in front of Bat-man, holding Billy Batson like a baby cradled in her arms and hands him to Bat-man while saying, "You people should be ashamed putting a child in such danger. I can not imagine such irresponsibility as allowing a kid even with such a powerful transformation to fight someone at my level."

She flies back into the air, smiles and *zips* appearing right in front of Green Lantern, grabs his wrist, nearly crushing it and pulls his ring off. She lets him drop and flies up. Red Lantern yet again has to catch Hal Jordan.

"Give that back," says Wonder-Woman as Rhulan *zips* around dodging her.

She examines the ring as she does so, "Now, now," says Rhulan, "I just want to get a good luck at this thing…a magic ring? Noooo, its some form of ultra-level advanced technology…huh…why anyone would make a minor reality distortion device that utilizes a single psychomantic wave form that could easily be countered like this is beyon….no…beneath me. Eh…"

She tosses the ring back at Wonder-woman who catches it surprised.

"I wouldn't put that piece of junk in my collection," says Rhulan, "besides I'm not a thief, and it's hardly a trophy to take an empowerment device from a human."

"What?" says Wonder-woman looking at the ring and back at Rhulan. A cyclone suddenly kicking up takes them both by surprise. Wonder-woman turns to see Red Tornado with bat-man tending to Super-man, Billy Batson, and Green Lantern. No this was caused by The Flash.

Rhulan *zips* down, "A knew combatant?"

She attempts to back hand him but he vanishes and appears behind her.

"I can sense you are just a human," she says, "altered perhaps but no stronger and no defenses, you would advised to surrender."

She *zips* and…she is not behind him like she intended, instead he is behind her and smiling. She *zips* again, and again, and again, and he does the same.

She frowns as he crosses his arms and smiles saying, "we can keep this up all day, that little trick of yours lady, I'm guessing its really short ranged, I'd say you can only go maybe fifty feet."

"Fast learner," says Rhulan, "but your strategy to distract me until one of the heavy hitters regains their strength or hits me when I'm focused on you wont work."

"Really?" says Flash just as Wonder-Woman is about to strike from behind, however there is a blue flash and Rhulan vanishes completely.

Wonder-Woman finds herself upside down for no reason and the Flash has a submarine sandwich in one hand and an upside down bowl on his head.

"Childish I know," says Rhulan, standing by a tree eating a sandwich "but don't worry I didn't do anything lewd during my thirty minute break…got a sandwich…well stole a sandwich…guess I can contradict myself about the whole thief thing…just not a professional one, got a sports drink…yeah stole that too. Not like I have money people…unless you tight wearing heroes have some cash I can borrow in your none-existent pockets, I'm good for it. She takes a bite of the sandwich.

"hey," says Flash as he moves a little woozy, "whyyyy, ddiiiid, yooouuu, boowwl…" he falls over and starts snoring. Wonder-Woman picks up the bowl and sees some weird writing inside it.

"A spell," says Wonder-woman.

"He'll wake up…eventually." says Rhulan, "just speed equals force…for me…not sure how he's avoiding that law of physics. But to hit him at his speed for me would probably have killed him."

Super-girl arrives and lands next to Super-man, "Cla…Kal'el are you alright?"

Super-man starts to come too, holding his head and shaking it.

"Shit," says Rhulan as Super-man takes off, even before Bat-man can finish the word, "Clark,"

A sonic boom erupts and the ground and air are rippled by a shockwave as Super-man collides with a spherical barrier around Rhulan, sparks flying from her hands into the wall of the shield. He punches again and again.

Rhulan's voice echoes, as though coming from the surface of the body and not her mouth, "This is the Perfect Barrier, even you can not get through it…unless you can hit hard enough to dislodge a continental shelf…you'd have to cause an extinction level event to get past my barrier and…."

Super-man continues punching, his teeth grinding and his eyes red, "and…" continues Rhulan, "I think he's too pissed too care…my attack…or he's just pissed."

Wonder Woman flies over, "Super-man," she says trying to grab his arm. He turns around surprised by the sudden touch and punches her, sending her flying into the ground.

"Oh my God," says Super-man suddenly realizing what happened, He flies down, "Diana I'm sorry, that witch must have done something, I though you were her…"

"It could just be they look a little similar," says Bat-man, "Super-man, you need to calm down."

"Yeah," says Super-girl, "cuz, you came out of no where and just wammed her. Then Hal shows up and says I should stay put, next thing I know Wonder-woman, Red Tornado, the Bat-plane, and Captain Marvel are flying over here. No way am I letting you…"

"She's dangerous," says Super-man, "she took down Dr. Fate and…"

"She's toying with us," says Bat-man, pointing at her, "look right now she's just standing there eating."

"I concur," says Red Tornado.

"Where were you," says Super-man, "Look at our friends here, Hal, Billy, and Wally,"

"They are alive," says Red Tornado, "through out the fight my analysis has concluded that this individual has restrained herself, not using lethal force. If she had used the power she used to incapacitate you she could have easily killed any one of us outright, save for perhaps Wonder-woman."

"Clark," says Bat-man, "she literally handed Captain Marvel to me and chided me for letting a child fight her."

Super-girl chimes in, "I though she was…a bit odd but nice."

"Perhaps I can conclude her motives," says Martian Man-hunter appearing out of no where right next to Rhulan, "hold still miss,"

"Wait!" says Rhulan but it's too late, the Martian Man-hunter falls over unconscious.

"See!" shouts Super-man.

Rhulan levitates the martian and sends him towards the others and drops him at Super-man feet.

She teleports and appears in front of super-man glaring at him right in the eyes, "for your information macho man in the red undies, I happen to have a psionic barrier that attacks psychic intruders automatically unless I lower it first. No time to do that with a psychic sneak attack…yeah he should be fine too after a nice long nap, provided he wasn't trying anything too hard…then you can expect brain damage."

"Leave my city," growls Super-man.

Rhulan looks over at Super-girl, "Sorry cutie another time perhaps, it seems I'm not welcome in this MAN's personal property that happens to be this city…guess he's the king…a weird world where king's dress like that…but, another time petite cutie."

She floats up and stops, reaches into her cape, the red lining turning black and pulls out a hexagonal amulet, "Yo, Kinky babe with the rope, if you and the blond cutie ever change your mind use this and give me a call."

She tosses the amulet down to Wonder-Woman.

"Till next time folks," says Rhulan as she opens a portal and vanishes.

-Later on the Watch Tower.

"What is wrong with you Clark?" says Super-girl, "you been exposed to Red Kryptonite or something?"

"Kara," says Super-man, "She was hitting on you…"

"So," says Kara, "and I was politely turning her down, I do have friends who are gay you know, hmph, who'd have thought you of all people would be a total homophobe."

"What no," says Super-man, "She also attacked Dr. Fate first, for all I knew she was trying to enchant you and…"

"To be fair," says Zattara in the hospital bed one over from where Super-man is being examined, "Nabu attacked her first, and it would seem after our fight she took down a super-villain in Metropolis."

"What?" says Super-man.

"Yeah," says Super-girl, "that's why *I* approached her, she took down that Wizard guy and just left him on the ground in the park. So I was like telling her how we do things and then she got kind of flirty and then you showed up and…"

"Thanks Kara," says Super-man, "I know the rest,"

"Really," says the Flash getting up from his bed, "even the parts were you were unconscious?"

"What about the parts where you were unconscious," says Wonder-woman turning the amulet around in her hand.

"We really should examine that," says Martian Man-hunt, still a bit woozy from his short lived coma.

"Agreed," says Bat-man, "even if its not a bomb…pretty sure someone like that wouldn't need one, it could still be some sort of spying apparatus."

"Did we win," says Green Lantern coming too,

"We're alive and she fled," says Super-man.

"I'd say took her leave," says Wonder-woman, "she seemed disgusted by the world of men."

Flash raises an eyebrow thinking, "What'd I miss?"

"At any rate," says Bat-man picking up the hexagonal amulet from a desk, "we really should get this too lab immediately."

-In the space between spaces.

Rhulan stands on a black stone viewing the Justice League through a dimensional window undetectable in their realm, "Heh, that was just the exercise I needed to get me back in my game."

She smiles, "too bad I couldn't manage to bed those two hotties, maybe next time."


	2. Chapter 2: Young Justice

Long ago Rhulan searched through the multi-verse for her brother, her method however was flawed, seeking out anomalous energies in the infinite multi-verse trying to stay close to the portal she had originally sensed him through in an attempt to narrow it down. Her first few encounters via this method lead her into conflicts with local beings, or rather she let herself be drawn into these conflicts. Before long she decided perhaps it would be best, especially to keep from being noticed by any higher level beings of those universes if she down played her involvment and focused on her search. However although she tried to keep from becoming a player in their universes sometimes her mere presence alone was enough to alter their histories. She would need a more direct, concentrated means to find her brother, using a far more stable gateway. For this reason she returned to Aesperia. However finding the world in ruins and being controlled by alien forces she remained on Aesperia and eventually united the world through her power becoming the Empress.

Now centuries later, having established her rule, and utilizing the technology of the Ark ship she has decided to use probes and sensors to search the multi-verse. However her curiosity gets the better of her as time goes on, and now she seeks to once more explore these universes for her own reasons.

Deep below the Metal Castle is a labyrinth of tunnels, these passages are not stone, mortar, brick, and the like but rather constructed of smooth plastic like walls, lights, and sliding doors with holographic screens. Even with Aesperia in a new age of technology this place would still seem futuristic. In one of the many labs in this place manned by man, machine, and homunculi, two scientists are working on a very top secret project in a secluded and massive room. One wall has a giant rectangular screen on it with two control panels.

The two men bow to Rhulan as she enters the lab, "Empress," they say in unison.

"Well," says Rhulan, "have you located it yet?"

"Empress," says one man activating a holographic screen before the massive screen showing overlapping bars, "the energy signature you provided has lead us to this alternate multi-verse; however we could not trace your specific reality anchor to the time and place you specified."

"Well," says Rhulan, "you only just began to unlock the ancient secrets of this technology, I did not expect specific conclusions so soon."

"My apologies," says the other scientist, "what we mean is that we…can't."

Rhulan raises an eyebrow alarming the men.

"I…I mean," says the scientist fearfully, "we have and haven't and can't. There is…"

He indicates the diagram, "there is a temporal anomaly affecting this multi-verse, most of its time lines seem to overlap."

The other scientist pushes a few buttons bringing up one of the overlapping time lines

with a green zone going back and forth into the past and future from a red zone.

"This red zone," says the first scientist, "seems to be the focus of most of these time lines, it inches forward or backward during each…reboot, as best I can describe it but always seems to remain with in a period of twenty too one hundred years, while also altering its past…and strangely…and I can't really understand this…its future…even though once it hits a certain point linearly with in this red zone it then starts over…"

"Retcon," whispers Rhulan.

"Empress?" asks one of the scientists.

She shakes her head, "I will assume then that my trace would be erased from their memories and history, even given my intention to travel to roughly the same point in time. Heh, guess worrying about overlapping myself is not a problem, however…"

She takes off her cape and drapes it over the control panel, its changes forming into a shadow shrinking or perhaps merging with the control panel, if nothing else it fuses enough that the control panel turns black.

"I wander," says Rhulan, "something vague returning to my memory, I left a trans-dimensional communication device in that universe. I wander if it would be erased during these temporal reboots or simply move positions."

Her hand glows purple as she waves it over the control panel. The holographic screen vanishes and a circular dimensional window opens in the massive screen as though someone had ripped it like a cloth. In the window the hexagonal device Rhulan had once upon a time given to the super-hero known as Wonder Woman is plain to see, sitting in a museum under glass on a pedestal.

"Well then," says Rhulan, "lets see what wanders await me this time."

As she heads for the portal she pulls her cape off the control panel in one swift movement as though it had simply been draped over it. She turns and says, "I will return shortly, after I've had my fun."

"Hold it lady!" yells the security guard, not an older man as one might expect, maybe in his mid forties.

The person however he is speaking too is Rhulan who at this late hour has appeared in the museum and flipped the glass lid off the hexagonal talisman, simply labeled [Talisman, North American, unknown tribe] It is covered in corn husks and strings hiding the real device inside. As the guard looks on she rips off these exterior decorations revealing the device hidden within.

As she turns the guard raises his gun, "I…I mean it lady, you just…"

She steps towards him, or rather in the direction of the exit.

*Bang!* in his stressed out state not to mention her appearance and the fact he saw her on camera appear through a portal the man believing her a super-villain has opened fire. He drops his gun and back off as he sees Rhulan drop the bullet from between her fingers onto the floor. With out a word Rhulan walks past the man who takes a deep gulp as she does so; backing up further afraid to even be touched by her cape.

As she steps outside there is a flash of black and green and a loud crash as she grabs the ankle of this attacker and flings him through the glass door into the museum. The man is on his feet and extends a bow staff.

"You're new," says the man, "sorry ma'am but here in Gotham we prefer if you visited the museums during normal hours. Oh and not take the exhibits."

"A comedian," says Rhulan, "child you would be well advised to not pursue this action."

"uh, yeah," says the man, he takes a quick swipe at Rhulan's hand holding the talisman,

but finds an unseen force suddenly blowing him back. He stands his ground trying to fight against the unseen force as Rhulan opens her cape; the inner lining turning black and tosses the talisman inside.

The force is released but instead of falling forward the man leaps back. He stands ready, studying Rhulan, well aware a fight here could damage the exhibits and that this opponent is stronger than the typical Gotham City villain. As she steps outside and goes down the steps an arrow flies at her. She takes no action as it is aimed at the ground. The head releases a strange gas. Rhulan flips her wrist and a wind blows the gas away.

"Hold it," says a young blond woman in green leather aiming her bow at Rhulan.

"Stay sharp Artemis," says the young man coming out behind Rhulan, "she's tougher than she looks."

"Tough enough to use an explosive head?" asks Artemis, "Because that's what I have aimed at you."

"Go for it," says Rhulan, "wouldn't be the first time someone has tried to blow me up."

"No!" yells the man known as Nightwing by his comrades as Artemis releases her arrow saying, "She asked for it."

Rhulan grabs the arrow in mid-air. Nightwing leaps off the side of the stairs as the arrow explodes. A faint blue glow inside the explosion and Rhulan walks out of the smoke unphased.

"Children," says Rhulan, "you are both clearly human, unless one of the big hitters of your world shows up…I do believe one called himself Super-man, or Wonder Woman, you are severely outclassed."

"Oh yeah." says Super boy jumping down from an invisible vessel.

"Sorry we're late," says Miss Martian floating down from the cloaked bio-ship.

"Not that I'm complaining," says Nightwing, "but why are you here?"

"Watch tower picked up a boom tube," says Super-boy, "she's Apokalptian."

Rhulan raises an eyebrow, "So you think I'm a world ender from a…boom…tube?"

She smiles at Super-boy, "your world is truly a strange one…that symbol."

She crosses her arms and levitates just off the street, "so are you related to Super-man and Super-girl?"

"Whose Super-girl?" asks Super-boy.

Rhulan frowns, "Well…that's disappointing. But I take it Wonder Woman exists in this iteration of your timeline."

"Great," says Nightwing, "another time traveler, just what we need."

"We're wasting time," says Miss Martian as her eyes glow.

"Megan!" yells Superboy as Miss Martian starts to foam at the mouth and transforms into her true white Martian form and falls to the ground.

"What'd you do?!" screams Super-boy lunging at Rhulan.

She vanishes and appears in the air, actually standing on the bioship. Sparks fly from her body making the ship uncloak.

"Psychic backlash," says Rhulan, her voice broadcasting through their head pieces,

"The other martian in the other iteration made the same mistake, although I do not believe he turned into a monster."

"She's no monster!" yells Super-boy leaping into the air.

Rhulan swings her hand throwing a purple energy fire ball. Super-boy strikes at it, the violet explosion throws him back to the ground smashing into the sidewalk. He staggers up, his hand burning.

"Stand down!" orders Nightwing, "we aren't prepared to fight someone like this, not here…we can't endanger civilians."

"but…Megan!"

"He is right." comes the deep voice of Dr. Fate as he appears, "this enemy is a creature of chaos."

"Oh goody," says Rhulan floating away from the bioship to float down the street from Dr. Fate, like two gun slingers from the old west.

"Be gone!" says Dr. Fate as he unleashes his golden blast.

Rhulan just stands there with her hand out and absorbs the blast.

"Impossible," says Dr. Fate.

Rhulan *zips*, appears right in front of Dr. Fate and back hands him.

Nightwing catches him, his helmet falling off.

*Raaah!* yells Super-boy as he leaps into the air after Rhulan.

"Thunder Cannon." She says as she unleashes the beam like electric blast, sending Super-boy smashing into the side of the bioship which spins, clipping the sides of a building.

Rhulan smiles and flies into the air, opening a sigil like portal, as she walks through it.

"Father." says Zatanna, "are…you're free?"

Zatarra the man who was the host of Nabu, the spirit that would change its host to the super-hero known as Dr. Fate is now free of Nabu, sitting in the watch tower infirmary.

"There will be time for reunions later," says Martian Man Hunter, "for now we need to assess what happened."

"I agree," says Zatarra, "Nabu was confused, he sensed chaos magic, but what he saw absorbed his magic somehow. Her blow…*heh* didn't just slap me, but hit Nabu directly. I think most of the force was aimed at him instead of me."

"I agree," says Martian Man Hunter, "considering the state Miss Martian and Super-boy are in."

"What?" asks Zatanna, "are they hurt,"

"Not by much," says Martian Man Hunter, "but enough. Red Tornado is running the museum security footage through the villain and hero database to see if anyone has encountered this woman before."

In the watch tower conference room, Super-Man, Bat-man, Wonder-Woman, The Flash, Martian Man Hunter, Zatarra, Captain Marvel, two Green Lanterns, Hawk Girl, Hawk Man, Plastic Man, and a few others are looking over the security footage.

"No one I know," says Wonder Woman.

"She may have been trying to goad a fight," says Hawk Girl, "find a worthy opponent she knew about."

"You thinking someone new?" asks Hal Jordan.

"Yeah," says Hawk Girl, "someone out to make a name for herself, there was boom tube activity just before she showed up right?"

"Yes," says Super-man, "given her powers I too think she is likely Apokaliptian."

"I don't believe so," says Bat-man, "the team reported the way she was talking implied she might be another time traveler."

He clicks a remote showing Impulse and Booster Gold, "we have had a few recently."

"Do we know her current whereabouts?" asks Jon (other Green Lantern).

Zatarra waves his hand over their global locator, "Dr. Fate's encounter was not with out gain, we can potentially locate her. However only when she uses her magic, however I can not promise anything; even Nabu did not sense her until the battle had already started."

The League looks at the map, as a red dot flashes on the screen.

"I'll go," says Super-man as he thinks, "I have to know how she knew about a super-girl?"


	3. Chapter 3: Superman's confrontation

As the Justice League assembles its members to meet at the Watch Tower to discuss the new villain that robbed the museum, defeated Super-boy, Miss Martian, Night Wing, Artemis, and Dr. Fate before vanishing, this very same individual is floating in a sitting yoga position in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

"Flow of mana of this place," says Rhulan, "show me Super-man's location in time and space."

She sees a vision of Super-man and the heroes gathered in the Watch Tower and senses his life energy high in orbit.

"I see," says Rhulan, "so you are in orbit above the planet, well then lets follow your essence-ial trail and see where you are normally on this planet."

She closes her eyes, "Mana of this Earth show me Super-man's place of birth."

Her vision shows the planet and a faint trail descending to it from the stars, "I see," says Rhulan as the vision descends to the Earth, "so this so called Super-man, king of men is himself alien to this world, hmm…"

The vision zooms in on a small town, she sees the Kent farm, "a quaint little farm…how amusing and…"

A blond girl comes down the stairs greeting the older couple. Rhulan smiles, "I see you, and yes this familiar life essence. So Super-girl does exist in this iteration, how curios she is not with the others. But there is time for that later."

The vision shifts and moves to the city of Metropolis outside the Daily Planet.

"Vision Traverse," says Rhulan standing and walking through her own vision and appearing before the doors of the Daily Planet.

She smiles as she walks inside. In the lobby she looks around and at the ceiling.

"Excuse me miss," says the receptionist, "you can't come in here with out an appointment."

Rhulan frowns, "Look at me human, do you not see the cape and the out of place attire?"

Rhulan floats in the air, "Now then, I have business to attend to."

Her body turns clear as she phases through the ceiling, passing through several floors, startling the employees. She does not stop till she reaches the reporter's room. She walks over to the simple little desk with a woman sitting behind the computer on one side of the double desk typing.

"So tell me," says Rhulan, "are you Super-man's lover young lady?"

"What?" says Lois Lane startled, "Who are you?"

"Excuse my manners," says Rhulan, "I am in a bit of a rush and am a bit surprised to discover that someone as physically strong as this Super-man would take something so frail and fragile as his lover…girl friend…wife perhaps."

"I…" says Lois Lane looking around at the questioning glances of her co-workers and the security that don't know what to do about this obvious meta-human that has barged into the Daily Planet.

"I don't know what you're talking about," says Lois.

"Come now," says Rhulan, "his life essence is practically dripping off of you and this area. But any who,"

She looks to the sky, and looks back at Lois with an evil gleam in her eye and a wicked smile, "If the heroes of this world think of me as a super-villain, perhaps it would be fun

to play the part."

With a wave of her hand Rhulan has transported herself and Lois Lane back to the Sahara.

"Who are you?" asks Lois again.

Rhulan raises an eyebrow.

"I am a reporter," says Lois, "I need to know the name of the super-villain Super-man is going to take down when he rescues me."

Rhulan smiles and with a flip of her wrist summons a stone cage around Lois Lane, "I am Empress Rhulan, ruler of the world of Aesperia; and I am going to kick super-man in the nuts for cock blocking me two centuries ago in…well a past of life of his as it were, yet was still him as he is today."

"What? Lady you're crazy." says Lois.

"Maybe so," says Rhulan, "but boredom reaps such strange crops. Now then lets get your rescuer's attention shall we."

Rhulan chants something beneath her breath and makes a few odd gestures. A storm manifests in the air above them, the clouds encircling their location in an ominous manner.

In the watch tower a red dot appears on a screen and Super-man is out with barely a word and with out back up.

In the desert Lois Lane is shouting out something, Rhulan however has no patience for this reporter and her goading as her focus is on something else; faster than the eye can see she extends her arm as though in flex, and a red and blue blur tumbles through the sand behind her.

"Super-man I presume," says Rhulan, "not a way for a king to act, trying to zip by me to rescue the damsel in distress. Is it not customary on your world for warriors to address each other first, introduce themselves, and do a bit of dialoguing first?"

Super-man stands up, "Not when you have innocent people in danger."

"Danger?" says Rhulan smirking as she looks at the cage, "hardly, no she was bait to insure that you alone would show Super-man."

"What do you want?" asks Super-man.

"Well," says Rhulan pausing a moment, "to be honest….no…never mind, I'm going to play this straight."

She smiles at super-man, crosses her arms and floats, "I am Rhulan the Celestial Sorceress, Empress of the world of Aesperia!"

She points dramatically at Super-man, "and I am here to kick your ass and yours alone for blue…balling?...blue snatching…blue labia—ing…eh…what ever, any who, I am here because a past iteration of yourself crotch blocked me…yeah that sound good, and I suspect you were the reason that Wonder Woman or Super-girl never did call me…well that or your world retconned its self…really your world is very screwed up."

She now more talking to Lois than Super-man, "your universe seems controlled by these Lords of Order guys, Order can be more damaging than chaos to be honest, especially if its so unbalanced in their favor, like insisting no new major changes occur in order to maintain the status quo by overlapping the timeline to keep it set with in a certain set of potential events and developments. Heh, your universe is no doubt become so temporally heavy…that…huh,"

Rhulan looks thoughtful a moment, "well I'll be damned this could mean…"

"Spirit Shield!" Rhulan raises her barrier in time to absorb Super-man's punch, sliding her back slightly.

"So disgraceful," says Rhulan, "but oh well,"

"Mystic Bolt!" shouts Rhulan as she backhands a purple fire ball towards Super-man.

He vanishes, speeding and appears behind her, before he can grab her she *zips*, appears and back hands him. He is quick to shake it off as he punches her in the gut.

Rhulan takes a step back holding her abdomen, a grimace on her face and a look that would terrify anyone on her world, "bas…tard…*hheee*"

Super-man grabs her by the arms and flies up, pinning her arms to her side. Higher and higher they go, leaving the ground far behind. Rhulan wriggles her arms finding them effectively pinned, this man is stronger than she remembered; or rather had forgotten. The air becomes thinner as they rise.

"I see," says Rhulan, "either he intends to asphyxiate me or at the least make me pass out, so either he can hold his breathe or survive in outer space…survive in outer space…"

As the blackness of space appears Super-man is taken back by the smile on Rhulan's face, as well as by her body suddenly glowing blue. Tiny sparks come off her body dancing over super-man's fingers, her grimaces. In this moment Rhulan knocks his arms free, bolts of aether dancing from her striking him as she does so. As he staggers in the void knees him the gut, a large bolt of light flashing from her knee hitting him, she does a little twirl floating above him and kicks him from above on his back, another flash occurring as he flies downwards.

"Weird," thinks Rhulan, "I've never seen the Celestial Aura act offensively before."

As super-man flies down to earth, the flames of re-entry all around him, he starts to regain is composure, "what happened? Oh right falling to Earth."

He does a spin and flies off with a sonic boom to where Lois is. When he arrives he finds Dr. Fate waiting for him, Lois freed from the cage.

"This is a first," says Lois, "A different super-hero rescuing me before Super-man gets the chance to."

"Zatarra," thinks Super-man, "why'd you put the helmet back on?"

"Lois," says Super-man.

"You better save it," says Lois pointing up, "Your dance partner's back."

Rhulan is floating there above them, her arms crossed, her expression stern as though she were a displeased instructor as she looks between the two super-heroes.

"Pitiful display," says Rhulan, "the hero distracts me while his friend sneaks around to rescue the damsel in distress…"

She *spits*.

"Well, the best laid plans of mice, mortals, and gods as they say. So ready for round two?"


	4. Chapter 4: When Universes Clash

"Miss Lane," says Dr. Fate, "I will send you home now, this battlefield is far too dangerous for a mere mortal."

"Now wait a minute mr…"

"I…." Lois Lane in mid sentence finds herself transported from the Sahara back to Metropolis, "I'm a reporter and it's my duty to cover Super-man fighting this or any other super-villain, great Lois, what are you going to tell Perry now? Oh sorry sir, the super-villain who just strolled into the Daily Planet and kidnapped me, her? Yeah I have no idea what happened, one moment I'm locked in a cage and this woman claiming to be yet another space queen was fighting super-man and oh, I can't give you any details because Dr. Fate of all super-heroes swooped in and sent me home. Yeah…that makes headlines."

Back in the Sahara Super-man looks at Dr. Fate a moment, lament in his eyes for his friend Zattara has once more dawned the helmet of Nabu becoming host to the Lord of Order.

"Stand near me," says Dr. Fate as he makes a wave motion with his arms and summons a blinding light.

When it clears, everything is blue and still, save for a bit of aura around them…and around Rhulan who is standing on the ground now some distance away with her arms crossed watching them, studying them with predatory eyes.

"I have stopped time," says Dr. Fate, "time may only move again in the space around us, such is how we can continue to breathe. The vision I received by the messenger of the high way is correct; our enemy would move outside of time with us. However like any sorcerer her magic should now be weakened as time is its own dimension; go now Super-man, save the world."

Super-man flies at Rhulan, who *zips*, appearing just behind him. With a swing of her fist she strikes the man of steel in the back of his head surprising him as he had expected her strength to have also been a spell, now cut off. In this moment of sudden throbbing distracting him Super-man can not react fast enough to seeing Rhulan *zip* down to Dr. Fate and roundhouse kick him in his right side sending him tumbling through the sand kicking it up, it sticking in the air a moment later trapped outside of time as the external to time passenger rips through the landscape. This sorcerer supreme rights himself, expressionless, his right arm now hanging limp and broken at his side.

Super-man heard the cracking of bone, it still echoes in his ears as though slowing down and replaying, as Rhulan flies directly for Dr. Fate, her toes slicing through the sand as she levitates at a slight angle over the surface he tries to fly to the rescue, but finds himself slowing down, he struggles against it.

"No!" thinks Super-man his eyes opening wide, "Dr. Fate! His magic is holding me here with them, he must be weakening!"

In this moment, the last thing Super-man can see outside of time is Dr. Fate raising a barrier and Rhulan moving through it as easily as one can move through air and uppercutting Dr. Fate, his helmet flies off as the man beneath it follows. This is all Super-man saw before his vision changed.

"Do it now son of Krypton," comes a voice, Super-man once more can see outside of time, the sorceress Rhulan is holding Dr. Fate's helmet in her hand studying it, unconcerned with Super-man or the man lying at her feet, super-man is not fully freed from the hold on time, he can not hear any heartbeat, only his eyes are free. In his anger Super-man uses his heat vision, hitting Rhulan on her right arm. She drops the helmet and grabs her arm, the flesh burnt and boiling with blisters.

*sssss-eeerrr* growls Rhulan holding her arm and glaring at the man of steel and another who appears like a ghost beside him; a silver man wearing a green robe and cape.

"Be free now son of Krypton." says the man, his hand on Super-man's shoulder, "by the power of the presence, most high of all we must remove this vile evil from existence."

"There shall be no mercy," growls Rhulan as she lowers both her arms, "Celestial power streams forth from thee creature, angel, celestial, diety, for this affront on my person, you…shall….die!"

Super-man and the man known as the Spectre feel a quake of the very air and ground, and through their very beings; a strange vibration sending images of Rhulan off her body as though her very being were quaking into the air.

"Her arm," whispers Super-man noticing it has healed, as though it never happened.

Rhulan's eyes glow with blue and white fire, as though no eye balls were in her head, and her whole body filled with a mystic fire. As the tremors increase the air splinters with red cracks, the sky and ground follow suite. These cracks glow and emanate a light that seems to fade and erase everything around the cracks.

"No!" screams Spectre trying to lunge at Rhulan, only to stop and regain his composure halfway to her. Spectre raises his arms and announces, "Behold the hand!"

A white hole opens in the sky erasing even the cracks as a massive glowing hand lowers down towards Rhulan.

"The Presence," says Spectre, "shall remove this virus on our universe himself."

"What is going on?" ask Super-man, he is cut off by something that even frightens Spectre.

"She is mine!" comes a woman's voice that fills their very souls with dread as a massive red hole, much like the cracks appears and a slender black hand darker than black with fingers like blades comes down from the other end of the sky."

The finger tips of these two hands touch and everything turns white.

In the nothingness a woman's voice can be heard or known as there are no words to describe the sensation in nothingness from those with out forms, although Super-man recalls seeing Rhulan floating around sitting on nothing with her legs crossed and arms crossed with her eyes closed and an irritated expression upon her face. She crunches up her nose and lip like a child being scolded as the woman's face says, "My dear Rhulan, this multi-verse is not like your own. A Time Quake in my universes may shake loose the hold of a time spell and kill your opponents by sucking them into chaos; but in this damaged multi-verse you risked destabilizing the precarious hold of time and ending that timeline forcing it into another…reboot."

Rhulan shrugs, "what ever. I'll be more gentle then…pathedic instability, your new friend should fix his universe to prevent that."

*the voice giggles*, "Oh, it is my dear, it is. We have agreed simply that time will not fold around you when distorted like that. Simply put my dear, Time Quake shall no longer work, this Presence has cut off contact with that dimension to preserve its universe. Now I must help it contain the damage our clashing realities have caused."

A sunny day, the light shines in Super-man's eyes, people stand in the distance at Super-man, and Spectre, with an unconscious Dr. Fate…or rather Zattara at their feet with the helmet of Nabu next to him.

"Super-man?" comes a voice in his communicator, "what happened?"

"I don't know," says Super-man his finger to his ear, "Dr. Fate used some kind of time spell and the…Celestial Sorceress…that's what she called herself, did…something…it's a bit fuzzy. Next thing I know I'm here and so is Zattara."

"Zattara?" asks Red Tornado from the watchtower.

"Yeah," says Super-man, "I think she knocked the helmet off again."

After a pause he says, "and The Spectre is here too."

Super-man addresses Spectre, "What happened?"

"Impossibility," says Spectre, "The Presence…is above all…no equal…and yet…I felt…impossibility…another…the another….I….don't know how to describe it."

Spectre looks at Super-man, "Another omnipotence, of another multi-verse…this sorceress connected the worlds and…it almost ended us…I…have to go, I…do not understand."

"What is happening," asks Bat-man coming onto the line, "What is Spectre talking about."

"I…" says Super-man, "don't know."

"Connecting different…multi-verses…" says Bat-man, "I suppose that is as good an explanation as any for what we are seeing from your last position."

"Last," says Super-man looking around noticing now that he is standing in front of a mall somewhere hot, but not as hot as where he was, "Where am I now?"

"Sierra Vista, Arizona," says Bat-man.

Hal Jordon comes on the line, "but your last position is now under a massive force field holding in what looks to be a white explosion. What ever happened there it looks like something is inside fixing it,"

"Fixing?" asks Super-man.

"Yeah," says Wonder Woman appearing above Super-man coming down from her invisible jet, "the explosion is shrinking, I'll take Zattara."

"Of course," says Super-man looking around as Wonder Woman collects Dr. Fate as gingerly as she can.

She whispers, "I'll take him to the Watch Tower; but by the way where is that woman?"

"I don't know," says Super-man, "back in the Sahara maybe."

"Maybe she's fixing the explosion," offers Zattara starting to come too.

"Save your strength," says Super-man.

"Its okay," whispers Zattara weakly, "I'll…tell you later…but…she did something…Spectre did…something…and everything went white."

Not long after Super-man leaves after talking to a news team that was alerted when he showed up in a ball of white light.

Much later the sunsets, on the watch tower Zatanna begs her father to never put on the helmet again, Bat-man briefs the Young Justice team on what has happened, and the world watches in tense fear as the massive dome over half the Sahara slowly shrinks; no one knowing what to do; some pointing fingers at the Super-heroes, some at Super-man directly; others praising them for actions the Justice League knows they are not responsible for yet don't know if they should tell the world they had no control over the dome as it shrinks to nothing.

At this mall, this clearly old and deserted mall, the next day in the afternoon, a blue sigil appears below where super-man had been and Rhulan rises from the sigil.

"Okay," says Rhulan, "lets try this again."

A woman looking much like her with dark black curly hair, and wearing a long black dress appears her voice echoing not in sound but thought, *Remember my dear, while you are here, chaos, netherworld, necro, death, shadow, and demonic powers will not work; the omnipotent of this multi-verse has cut off access to those elements from our multi-verse…the poor dear, completely caught off guard by the dangers of foreign magic in his fragile universe.*

"If you're done," says Rhulan, "please leave me be mother-of death, dreams, and chaos."

Rhulan smiles at the woman.

The woman laughs in her throat and smiles before her whole form turns black, her eyes glowing blue and she vanishes.

"Any who," says Rhulan looking around, "where was I? Oh right, I was trying to have some fun before this whole game went ape shit crazy; but seeing as my playmates have all gone I think I'll call it a day as well."

With that Rhulan opens a portal and vanishes.


	5. Chapter 5: Rage Against the Writers

The throne can be a lonely place, and very boring, for an immortal it can be especially boring. For her, she has sat upon this throne for centuries, possibly literally. To eleviate her boredom she would wander; her own world at times; however she is far too well known as the god-queen of the entire world, so such travels are rarely anything but extravagant shows of power. No, she ventures to other worlds, has little adventures to eleviate her boredom.

On this day she travels to a rather mundane little world. There is nothing special about this world, sure it has its wars, history, gods, demons, hidden faerie folk, but really so just pretty much every variation of this little blue and brown marbel. She has chosen to appear here in a rare form; her actual form. She does appear in local attire, possessing some person or construct so as to limit her power as she is apt to do when "playing" on a world. No she is here as herself, black leather like boots, corset top, tight pants, and black cape with a red interior lining. She is Rhulan the sorceress, a name that means everything back home, but nothing here, except somehow to one man who waves her over. Across the thralls of teenagers, children, and adults dressed in all manner of costumes based on characters from TV shows, movies, anime, cartoons, and comic books. It is this last one that matters here, for it is a stand of old comics whose proprieter has waved her over.

The somewhat obese man smirks and says, "Oh yeah, that's it all right. I bet everyone thinks you're dressed as some generic sorceress chick, like using the convention as an excuse to larp am I right?"

His look is both oddly appreciative and disturbingly leery.

"Rhulan that Celestial Sorceress chick right?"

"What?" asks Rhulan, "how do you know that name?"

"I got all five issues she's in." says the man, "not really major issues, we got the one from the 1980 where she fought the Justice League, that was a three parter."

He puts out a comic, the woman in the book has wavier hair that is a much lighter shade of red, the costume is a dark brown, but the events…they are almost exactly what happened. Her flirting with Super-girl and Wonder Woman is missing among a few things, but its been so long she hardly remembers herself the exact details

"here's the second appearance," says the man, "an issue of the Defenders from Marvel Comics in 1992. Back when the Hulk was having all kinds of psychological issues."

In this one her hair is straight and clothese black, but her eyes are green and her bust is massive and waist a little too thin, not to mention her feet are always pointy and she's constantly flying like she's about to knee someone in the crotch.

"Weird," says the man, "that DC comics and Marvel comics would use the same character, even use the same name. But they were on better terms back then."

Somethins is amiss to Rhulan, the dates are backwards, she remembers fighting the green behemoth before the so called Justice League, but this is clearly a case of psionic reality overlap influencing so…

"Shame they stopped using her for almost twenty years,"

"Huh?" says Rhulan.

"Yeah," says the man, "I heard she was planned originally to be a major villain in this three companies cross-over, DC's Amithyst, Marvel's Thor, and even She-ra were all going to fight her as part of this cross-over, but it fell through. The guy who wrote the DC comic said something about her being his character, and the Marvel guy claimed she was his, that they weren't the same character, and neither would back down, so it all fell through."

She shuffles out another issue, "yeah, best part is both sides dropped her from future storylines and replaced her Morgan le fay, yeah, both companies used their version of a character they ripped off from King Arthur instead of this crazy powerful chick; which makes it really sad what they did to her twenty years later."

"When she fought the Justice League again," says Rhulan remembering what it would be.

"Yeah," says the man, "two retcons later and I guess someone at DC decided she existed again. First she popped up in Young Justice, man the fans were not happy about this character they thought was new totally jabbering the Young Justice team. Heh heh, then she's back right away in Superman and Justice League…man it was like a left over from the previous retcon, people were afraid they were about to do another retcon, but nope, they were just nerfing this old school villain. Weird though, because she never came back after they went through all the trouble of having the Presence…AKA the writers, decide that her better powers can't work anymore so they don't endanger the DC universe."

"This all happened," thinks Rhulna, "nerfed? As in reduced my power so as not to be a threat,"

"Its how it goes," says the man, "if someone is a real threat to like Superman…and Dr. Fate, and the Spectre, they have to nerf them, and bad, if they want to keep using them. I heard they were going to bring her back, have her be a villain in the new Amithyst book, and make her a lesbian, can you believe it, like she was going to be after Amithyst and Super-girl, and even Wonder Woman, to make them a harem or something. But some gay rights group got wind of it, felt the story was too demeaning and making lesbians look evil. So get this, instead of just scrapping that part of the story, they scrap the whole thing. The guy from Marvel got wind of it too and sued DC for reusing the character, it didn't go anywhere, but they permanently retired her after that."

Rhulan purchased the books, and many more about Superman and the Justice League, and these other heroes she once encountered in real life.

"Cross dimensional psionics," says Rhulan a few weeks later while in her private chambers, "do not explain how they could be anticipating events to come, the year differentials might, like events that did happen…but then they prepared for events that were likely to happen…but…no…the goddess…that Presence…what did that geek call it…the writers? No…."

She tosses the book down, "A Dream World….of course! The retcons, the way the popular heroes survive and keep coming back. It's not a universe that influences the books, if it were the stories would be similar but not so damned close. The Presence, the force that molds that universe must be the writers….somehow this universe and anything in it at the time must be influenced by the cross-dimensional mental influence of those writing its world. That is why the timeline was so…off. But that means…"

She eyes the books with a vicious stare that would make the bravest of generals in her army turn pale, "I….was influenced, they had plans for me, but as I moved outside their influence I could no longer be influenced so reality had to correct for that, make excuses for that. My actions while there…this is why I just left, why I fought with kid gloves….why even after returning I didn't do what I originally sought to do and instead fought these idiots like I did…"

She begins to glow with an un-earthly azure light, "I am Rhulan the Sorceress! I am the Empress of Aesperia! I have slayn thousands upon thousands, armies of robots, demons, monsters, aliens, I have punched out gods for crying out loud! I will NOT allow this injustice! NO mortal writers influence me!"

Upon her face came a most wicked smile, a dark smile, a look of pure evil geniuse flowed through her eyes, oh this plan, this perfect plan, the perfect revenge, for she knew in that instant the exact spells she needed.

"Puppet strings," whispers Rhulan, her voice cringing fate, "the puppet shall guide the hand….*she bursts into terrifying maniacal laughter*.

Stately Wayne manner, a practical landmark outside of Gotham City; tonight hosting a charity event for local orphans. The atmosphere is as one would expect from the wealthy lost out of time, pearl necklaces, suits, fancy jewelry, and all there for an art auction to raise money for orphans as well as basically being a party where all the proceeds go to charity. The scene is violently interrupted by Rhulan smashing through the ceiling like a comet, through the second floor and hovering above the party. She pays no heed to the screaming and frightened party guests or the man below demanding to know who she is. Instead she looks around, searching, and with a smile dives straight down through the floor, destroying wood and stone as she smashes through into a large cave. The light flicker a moment as she lands. There the man known as bat-man is surprised; as surprised as the Bat-man can display.

"Who…" Batman stops the woman is familiar, but in a vague fuzzy kind of way.

"Stop right there!" shouts Batman noticing her walk nonchalantly over to the vault.

He leaps over intending to grab her only for her to vanish an appear behind him, she grabs his cape and flings him away like a ragdoll. He rolls a moment, a moment long enough for Rhulan's hands to glow with an unearthly blue flame and melt through the locks on the vault as easily as a hot knife through butter. He throws a bat-a-rang, it stops in mid-air as Rhulan opens the vault and falls to the ground, her looking over her shoulder the only indication she did anything to cause that.

Batman runs over to the computer and types in the emergency Batcave lock down. Unfortunatly as fast as he did this Rhulan is faster, he turns around to see she *zipped* into and out of the vault, knowing exactly where to look somehow (a somehow to him, a cheated using comicbooks for her) to find a glowing green rock she now holds in her hand.

"Oblivion Summance," says Rhulan, summoning a blue and white sparkling cyclone around and vanishing.

(Later at the hall of Justice)

Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman, and Red Tornado are gathered together before the monitor watching footage from the Wayne Manner's closed circuit cameras.

"She does seem vaguely familiar," says Superman, "but I can't put my finger on who she is."

"This new villain is now found in any of the world wide crime records," says Red Tornado.

"Perhaps," says Batman, "she isn't someone new, nor in the current crime records."

"You're thinking a later Unification Event fragment?" asks Wonder Woman.

"I believe so," says Batman, "given that we seem to have a vague recollection of this individual, despite no existing criminal record, and she clearly knew where she was going and where to find it."

"The kryptonite fragment," says Superman.

"Exactly," says Batman, "no one without memories of the Batcave or us could have known I keep a piece of kryptonite, let alone where to find it."

Superman puts his hand on the Hall of Justice computer, making a secret panel open and white orb ascend.

"Unification database, analyze this image."

"Image Analyzed," says a woman's voice, "Identity found, Rhulan the Celestial Sorceress, appeared in two previous timelines. Not affected by the unification event, an outsider to the DC universe."

"Marvel?" asks Wonder Woman.

"No," says the computer, "searching, only multiverse records are a legal snafu as the term goes, an indy character created in the 1950's by a feminisit magazine featuring a story about fighting the Justice League. This story was picked up and altered by the official release causing three different mental overlaps in the Unification Event, effectively fuzzing the memory to none-existent. Second Official appearance was in the next time line, nearly destroyed the DC universe by using external magical forces beyond the then fragile universe's temporal structure."

"I see," says Superman, "so…she was a villain against one of my past selves?"

"Data shows," says the computer, "she was an anti-hero…potentially, appearance was too short, due to legal problems with Marvel, the original feminist magazine, and an indy writer online who all believed they invented the character and could back up the claim, she was never used again despite plans. What little there is indicates some animosity between her and the following heroes; Superman, Dr. Fate, and The Spectre."

The monitor switches over to the image of Rhulan sitting upon a throne with a giant black with red glowing lines female golem on one side, and a white with black stripes tiger like cat-girl on the other side.

"I am Empress Rhulan, ruler of the world of Aesperia." she says,

"How did she override the Unification Computer?" starts Superman,

"Its more than that," says Red Tornado, "I am picking up the transmission as well, somehow it is being sent to all communication devices."

Aquaman bends over in pain, "in…my telepathy…Atlantian magic wave…a tsunami of imagery."

Batman just narrows his eyes.

"People of the Earth," continues Rhulan, "your world is nothing more than a fabrication created in a psychomantic pool, a well of thought in a pocket universe, governed not by higher powers, but the will of mere mortals."

"She knows," says Batman.

"I however am not part of your pathedic reality, and yet long ago when I came here my actions were manipulated, controlled, limited, by mere mortals all for the sake of your precious Mary Sue,"

Superman narrows his eyes, they glow red for a moment.

"Superman," she continues, "your man of steel, the term really should be a Superman, and not a Mary Sue, to think I have found psycholink books written about me that dare call me such a term. Do things always turn out for the best for me? Does everyone end up loving me regardless of what I do all because I apologize, or prove some assasine juvenile point about justice and kindness and all that rot? No! Or better yet, lets put it this way about your precious little hero, things change for him. Ask yourselves, what happens to his deadliest enemies? They become weaker, he suddenly gains without trying some new power, or something comes to him oh so conviently to teach him how to win, or those threats are locked away. The only consistent threat is a glowing rock, and even that gets swept away when it gets over used."

She pauses a moment, "I came to a past iteration of your world peacefully, and was attacked by your so called heroes, worst of all by Superman, you may call him your savior, I saw the bloodlust in his eyes. The anger at facing someone that wouldn't roll over for him, that there was no immediate solution for defeating…or he was a total homophobe because I was hitting on Supergirl…anywho…when I returned to your world, we fought again, heh…your pathedically weak universe nearly perished thanks to your Spectre and Dr. Fate forcing my hand, but that is the way of Psychopool world's, mere constructs of thought….but there in lies the problem, a moment later my power was limited, told by the very essence of your world I would no longer have access to those powers able to outright threaten your higher echelon of heroes…nerfed as they say…all because some human writers apparently couldn't think of a way around the issue of Superman facing magic whose rules exist outside of your universe's confines. For the sake of my honor and dignity as the Empress and Goddess of Aesperia, I challenge Superman to a duel, to be held three days from now on top of the Daily Planet, at this exact time."

The transmission ends.

"That was more a rant than a threat," says Wonderwoman, "but she does sound pissed. Honor can be a strong motivator when you feel it's been slighted."

"I'm going," says Superman, "She's too dangerous not to be stopped, since the Unification Event those limitors can't still be in place,"

"Our Universe isn't so fragile anymore," says Batman, "Marvel, Mortal Kombat, Top Cow, Capcom, and many others from those and more worlds have come and challenged us since our respective universes have had their own Unification Events. Magic and cosmic forces that should have destroyed the fabric of our universe, didn't."

"That's not the point," says Superman, "she doesn't think of our world like those others do, we're fake to her. What's to stop her from coming after all of us, just to feel better about herself? Or to think its all just a game that will be undone by the next retcon, for some writer to call it a "What if" story or a dream we had. No, she has to be stopped now; and only I can do it."

"You know it's a trap Clark," says Batman.

"I know," says Superman, "but she doesn't know that I am every Superman combined."

(three days later)

The show down begins, before the Daily Planet Sign stands Superman and across the way Rhulan.

"Surrender now and…" starts Superman.

"Just shut up and die," says Rhulan summoning a massive green sigil in front of her, the energy of which brings superman to his knees.

"Impossible," caughs superman…how…I scanned…for kryptonite..

"Crystal Barrage!" shouts Rhulan.

Time is slowed down for superman as he sees what Rhulan was spending her time creating, crafting a new hybrid spell, combining crystal barrage with the energy of kryptonite, as the green shards fly straight for his face, just before they can stab him right in his mug, a green barrier forms in front of him, the crystals bouncing off of it.

Hal Jordan of the Green Lantern corp has come to Superman's rescue.

"Hal," says Superman righting himself, the barrier blocking the radiation.

"No!" screams Rhulan, the very air shacking with her rage, her barrier grows larger and green cracks appear around it, ripping into the very fabric of reality, Hal Jordan is now forced to block with all his ring's might as the crystals fly out at nearly the speed of light, shredding into the building, and around the barrier forcing Hal Jordan to make a force bubble as the crystals now try and seek out their target, some even partially piercing the bubble, just enough for their radiation to keep superman from acting.

"Damn you!" yells Rhulan, her eyes turning solid green with electric arks shooting from them, "You can't do that! Never before could your barrier block my magic! Its not in its nature! Gods damned lazy writers! You will not deny me! I will not be limited! I will not be held back by the figmentations of mere humans! Aaahhhhh!"

She glows like an aurora, the very air around her crackles, rips in reality form in the sky, glowing red. Hal Jordan's super ring barrier can not hold against the assault as two shards pierce through, one stabs Superman in the shoulder, the other in his gut, just as the barrier is about to fully fail, something miraculous happens. A portal forms behind Rhulan and black tendrils shoot out, one wraps around her waist, another her chest, and one around her throat. This last one makes her lose her concentration dropping her spells; however it also fully pisses her off as she bares her teeth and grabs at the throat choking tendril, her cape even forms into thorny tendrils of its own and tries to wrestle with those wrapping around her creating a visual mess like black cables and spaghetti. She is yanked through the portal, her last visual of the DC universe superman lying on the ground bleeding with kryptonite crystals stabbed into him.

"NOOOOO!" screams Rhulan as she tries to kick and punch, practically foaming at the mouth like a wild beast as her eyes flash all manner of different colors, a rainbow of crazy and arcane powers fly off her power in all directions, raw destructive, reality shredding energies. She is held tight however, not by tentacles, or tendrils, but rather by a warm hug. A pair of arms clad in black, or made of darkness themselves, holding her tight against a shapely body with large pale breasts pressed into Rhulan's back wearing a black dress sparkled with starlight. This woman with a pale face resembling Rhulan's own yet with eyes of pure blue flames and long black hair waving of its own accord that seems to become part of her formal gown as they meet and flow off into an unseeable ether behind them while infront of them is a place of waving blue calmness.

"No!" screams Rhulan, "I am Rhulan the Sorceress! Tens of thousands of years old! I have slayn Elder Gods, conquered worlds, destroyed and created entire civilizations! I am a goddess! I will not be bested by paper dolls invented by mere humans! Raahhh!"

She continues to kick and swing about wildly, ranting as she does, her released energy means nothing to the one holding her, although such power would desomate just about anything else known to man or god.

*Are you done?* asks the one holding her as Rhulan calms down, and pants.

*Got that out of your system?*

"Uh…heh…heh…heh.." huffs Rhulan.

She stops and looks behind her, "Let me go."

*Very well* says the entity releasing her.

"I…got him," says Rhulan smiling.

*Yes* says the entity, *you killed Superman, the Unified Superman, symbol of Justice and force for good across the multiverse*

"Unified?" asks Rhulan.

*The real Superman* says the entity *the one true one, the weight of the fake timelines collapsed into themselves from all the variants both true and invented to become true, collected into that world. This was truly an act of ultimate evil*

"I am not evil," says Rhulan, "I simply am…we've discussed this before."

*The balance of the multi-verse* says the entity *has come undone, as the one who killed such a high end…piece on the side of good, you must likewise destroy an equal amount of power on the side of evil*

"and I guess those eldritch horrors from back in the day don't count?" asks Rhulan.

*those are beyond good and evil…but you have fallen from that lofty position and must right the balance in the well of figmentations.*

Rhulan shrugs, "fine, I don't care honestly. Just had to get that crap out of my subconscious anyway, so fine, I'll pay your toll for killing that paper doll by killing more mortal inventions."

*Very well* says the entity, *your first target will be a monster called Chucky*

(and so it was that Rhulan's horror battle commenced anew as penance for killing the man of steel, little did she know however that things were not as they seemed)

Back in the DC Unified Universe, in the Watch Tower, that space station that floats in orbit above Earth, in a hospital bed, Superman is hooked up to a machine, bandages across his chest and gut, breathing through a machine as Hal Jordan, Martian Manhunter, Wonderwoman, Supergirl, and Batman look on.

"He is stabilized, he is however in a coma." says the Star Labs doctor, "We got all the kryptonite out of him, we are still analyzing it however, we've never encountered magic kryptonite before, no telling its effects on Kryptonian physiology."


End file.
